Location

601 Smithe Street, Vancouver, BC
Corner of Smithe and Seymour Streets
Entrances at 601 Smithe Street and 884 Granville Street

Seating

• 2,672 standard seats
• 16 wheelchair spaces

Accessibility

• Wheelchair seating is available on the orchestra and dress circle levels
• Wheelchair accessible washrooms on the orchestra level and the third floor
• Elevator access is available through the Smithe Street entrance
• Hearing assist units and binoculars at the main lobby coat check

Parking

Parking near the theatre is limited. Give yourself extra time before your event to find parking. There is no parkade attached to the Orpheum, but there is parking in the neighbourhood, at meters and public parking lots.

• Find metered parking
• Find an EasyPark parking lot

Public transit

The Orpheum is located two blocks south of the Vancouver Centre Canada Line Station on West Georgia Street (get directions in Google Maps). City centre bus routes also stop on Granville Street (visit TransLink's website for bus information).

Children

Vancouver Civic Theatres requires that all audience members, including children, must have a ticket. There are no exemptions to this policy regardless of the child’s age.

Latecomers

If you are late to a performance, please be aware that you may not be seated until intermission. Video monitors are available in the theatre lobby to follow the action on stage.

To honour the performance’s integrity, the show’s producer will determine 24 hours in advance when latecomers may be seated. In some cases, latecomers may be seated at the back of the Orchestra.

Performance protocol

Taking photographs and recording performances in theatres is not allowed unless authorized by the promoter or producer. Cameras and recording devices may be confiscated by theatre staff for the duration of the show.

Lost and found

• Call 604-665-3035

BC Entertainment Hall of Fame

The Orpheum is home to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame.

The Starwall Gallery on the 2nd floor off the Granville Street staircase features members of the Hall of Fame.

Outside the Orpheum is the Starwalk, a parade of plaques installed in the sidewalk along Granville Street to honour these artists.

• Learn more about the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame

For additional information, call 604-665-3050.

Resident companies

The Orpheum is home to a number of Vancouver-based non-profit arts organizations who perform regularly, offering the finest in music, dance, theatre, and opera.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

For over 90 years, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has presented high-quality performances of classical and popular music to audiences in the region. The largest performing arts organization in western Canada and the third largest symphony in the country, the VSO presents over 140 concerts each season at the Orpheum.

Vancouver Bach Choir

A resident of the Orpheum since 1930, the 150-voice Vancouver Bach Choir presents a series of concerts each year and has been responsible for the British Columbia premiere of a number of major works and the premiere of many Canadian composers.

Vancouver Chamber Choir

Since its inception in 1971, the Vancouver Chamber Choir, a professional vocal ensemble, has been performing in Vancouver, across Canada, and around the world, singing in over 35 languages. A leading advocate of Canadian music and composers, the Choir has commissioned and premiered more than 170 new choral works in the last 30 years.

Presenters

Vancouver Academy of Music

The Vancouver Academy of Music is a non-profit institution founded in 1969 offering a wide range of classical training for students of instrumental and vocal music, and provides an opportunity for students to participate in master classes, technique classes, opera workshops, and chamber music. During the year, VAM presents a number of concerts at the Orpheum showcasing the young talent of the institution.

Get detailed rental information

Seating

• 2,672 standard seats
• 16 wheelchair spaces

Rental fees

Rates in effect 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013.
All listed rates and fees are subject to taxes applicable to venue rentals.

Receptions

Theatre spaces make unique reception venues, however, receptions within theatre spaces have limitations. Any stand-alone receptions in these spaces may be pre-empted by a performance up to one month prior to reception date, unless full performance rental is paid. There is no additional rental charge to the Licensee unless outside the five-hour event time allowance. 

View detailed reception information (83 kb)

Contact

Contact our booking manager to rent the Orpheum:

Email: peter.kendall@vancouver.ca

Get detailed rental information

History of the Orpheum

The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1927 as Vancouver's largest vaudeville house, providing a popular mix of live and screen entertainment.

Historical significance

• The Orpheum has a long association with classical music productions in Vancouver and with important local groups including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
• The Orpheum works closely with cinematic and live entertainment in Vancouver. For many years, the Orpheum was one of the few venues in Vancouver available to international performers.
• The history of the Orpheum’s use reflects broad patterns of change in the mass entertainment industry in North America, first for vaudeville, then for cinema, and subsequently as a civic theatre.
• As one of the City of Vancouver's three theatres, the Orpheum enforces the City's view that cultural and performance spaces are important to Vancouver citizens.

Architectural significance

• The Orpheum was Vancouver’s largest vaudeville movie palace from the first half of the 20th century and is the only one of its scale in Vancouver to survive.
• The Orpheum is one of the few decorative vaudeville movie palaces in Canada.
• The Orpheum provides a rare example of the Spanish Baroque Revival style, an uncommon type of 1920s architecture.
• The Orpheum’s architect was B. Marcus Priteca. He is recognized as the most accomplished theatre designer of his era in the American Northwest and Western Canada. This is the only surviving Canadian theatre designed by Priteca.
• The Orpheum has strong contextual value for being an anchor building in Vancouver’s Theatre Row.